Ayurvedic Explanation of Human Body

An Ayurvedic practitioner understands that people are made up of various combinations of the elements. Some people have more air in their system; some people have a more fiery constitution. Others are predominantly made up of water. Still others are combinations of fire and air, fire and water, or air and water. Some people have an equal amount of all three elements (either is combined in air and earth within water).

Thus a more air-predominant individual needs to take in less air and more fire and water. A water dominant person need to reduce intake of water and to increase the fire and air elements in the diet and lifestyle.

The Ayurvedic approach to treatment comprises of mainly 3 steps:

Determining one’s elemental constitution defined as dosha or prakriti

Learning the elemental cause of illness defines as vikriti

Applying treatment methods to balance the elements causing the illness or vikriti, without causing any imbalance to the constitution or dosha

As discussed earlier, each person is made up of a combination of these elements, yet each usually has a combination predominantly of two or all three of these elements. These elements in turn, form three physiological principles, Vayu (ether and air) ,Pitta (fire), Kapha (Water and Earth). Like the elements, people are predominantly made up of one or more of these doshas.